Halloween costumes

Babies and toddlers

Halloween costumes

Halloween costumes can be scary for young children, especially during your Halloween party. This theme will help babies and toddlers warm up to different costumes through various forms of exploration.

AREA SETUP

Display pictures of different Halloween costumes on the walls of your daycare. Add pictures you took of the children in your group during last year's Halloween party or pictures provided by parents from previous trick or treating experiences.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

Hat binBefore children arrive in the morning, set a large bin filled with a variety of hats on the floor. Encourage children to explore the contents of the bin.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (look)

Tiny spotsMakeup plays a big role in completing Halloween costumes. In front of a mirror, draw a dot on each child's nose. Provide lukewarm moistened facecloths and show children how they can make the dot on their nose disappear. Repeat the activity as long as children express an interest.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (look and touch)

ScarvesPurchase several different colourful scarves that are soft to the touch. Have fun manipulating the scarves with your group. After a while, have fun using the scarves to represent hats or bandanas. Use larger scarves to represent belts or even dresses, skirts, or capes.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Making my own hatHats are always interesting Halloween costume accessories. Cut strips of construction paper and give one to each child. Encourage them to decorate their strip of paper with crayons, paint, glitter, and various arts & crafts accessories related to the theme. When they are done, measure the circumference of each child's head and staple their strip of paper to form a simple hat. If you wish, glue a long party streamer in the back of each child's hat to hide the staples. Of course, you may also add bunny, mouse, or cat ears on the front of each child's hat...just for fun!

MummiesThis exploration activity makes building different motor skills possible. You will need several rolls of toilet paper. Have fun wrapping the children in your group with toilet paper to turn them into little mummies. Let babies and toddlers manipulate the toilet paper. They will enjoy crumpling it, tearing it, and sticking it on a large piece of adhesive paper. Provide containers they can fill with toilet paper pieces and empty over and over again.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Halloween socks Purchase dollar store Halloween-themed socks (with fun designs or just orange socks). Remove children's shoes and socks and have fun sliding your Halloween socks over their feet. The socks don't have to match...this will add to the silliness of this activity.

Hide-and-booYou will need small blankets or white fabric squares. Have fun hiding under them and removing them as you say "boo!" over and over again.

Pyjama dayIf the children in your group are afraid of Halloween costumes, simply invite parents to bring children to daycare in their pyjamas. Explain how they are dressed up as "sleepy children".

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Very big and very small costumesFill a large container with everyday clothing items. Ask parents to provide items they no longer need. Your container can include a father's shirt, a mother's hat, wool socks, etc. Add several items of clothing that are too small too, doll clothes for example. Invite children to use the items to dress up. Help them notice how the shirt's sleeves are too long or the doll's dress is too small.

Orange daySelect a day during the week and ask parents to dress their child in orange clothes. With your group, identify all the orange items each child is wearing as you name the color.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Party streamersWith supervision, allow older toddlers to manipulate long pieces of party streamers. They will enjoy wrapping the streamers around their head, sliding them inside their waistband to represent a skirt, etc. Play music and dance around the daycare, waving the party streamers in the air.

Clown shoesSet empty tissue boxes on the floor. Show older toddlers how they can insert their feet and wear the tissue boxes. Just like clown shoes, they will be too big. Children will love putting the clown shoes on and taking them off repeatedly. Help older toddlers walk around the daycare, wearing clown shoes on their feet.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Picture bookTake pictures of your group every time they dress up. Print the pictures or use pictures of Halloween costumes found on the Internet to create a simple picture book you can admire with the children in your group. Point to the different body parts as you name them and discuss each costume. For example, you may say, "You are wearing a blue hat in this picture."

Chantal MilletteEarly childhood educator

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